BONUS PARANORMAL ROMANCE STORIES
Rugged Wolf: Moonlight Alphas I
“Oh my god, just do it,” Vanessa Cummings said. Her statement was almost punctuated by a stomping of her cute white and cork wedges, but she resisted. Instead, she directed all her frustration to chewing the straw of her long gone iced coffee. The poor thing had been having a rough morning, as had she.
The reason for her bad morning stood in front of her in all of his tanned, Greek god glory with his infuriatingly perfect smile and super grating chiseled jaw. In the right light and state of undress, Archer Payne was almost too hot to look at. The man looked like he stepped out of a romance novel or high fashion photo shoot. With his construction experience and way of being able to fix…anything…he was every woman’s weakness, formulated perfectly to satisfy her. Well, every woman except Vanessa. She remained resistant to his charms.
“Babe, I would if I could. Really. But those pretty little white things are called pipes. And I know, that up until now, you thought that word only existed to describe my biceps, but alas…they have other uses. Like moving water and sewage. And I’d like neither option to rain down on me today.” Archer shot a killer grin directly into the camera filming. Vanessa counted her blessings that they weren’t running live feed today. Otherwise, this whole process would be much worse.
She just looked at him, letting him see the clear annoyance that was written all over her face. “Archer, I’m not asking you to hit the pipes. I’m asking you to hit the wall in between the pipes. I know it’s only about four-inches, but you’re used to slamming in that size, so you shouldn’t have a problem.”
The film crew snickered behind the lenses, cameras still rolling. She fought the urge to smile like an idiot and pump her fist in the air. Score 1, Cummings.
But instead of either guffawing or acknowledging her point, Archer smiled broadly and gripped the sledgehammer a little bit tighter. She found her eyes unwillingly drifting down to the strain of his biceps, almost exploding out of the black t-shirt he was wearing. How was he so built? Surely construction wasn’t that much of a workout. He must be on steroids. Yup, that must be it. Picturing him popping pills and pouring powder made her feel a little bit better. She ignored the little voice telling her there was no way a guy like Archer would ever cheat his body by taking performance enhancers.
She mentally shook her head, trying to focus on what Archer was saying. “…And I think viewers of ‘Hard Hats’ would appreciate my construction experience more than the work that goes into which shots make ladies panties wet.”
She felt her eyes go wide. That was really inappropriate, even for him. “You better not be talking about me that way, Archer Payne.”
His smile dimmed and he looked around at the crew, who likely all cast their eyes downward. Her crew knew that onset, she was the omnipotent god here. She pulled the strings. She was in control of everything. He was not going to win this battle, and she felt satisfaction watching his face as he realized that fact. He cleared his throat, looking more than a bit sheepish. “Uh…no. Nope, wasn’t talking about you.”
“And?” she asked, raising a blonde eyebrow.
“Aaaand…sure, Vanessa. I’ll put my big, industrial-sized hammer directly into that tight space,” he said, devilishly winking at her in front of cast and the entire world. He probably knew that was too juicy not to air that. It would bump up the ratings, and it would definitely make her lady viewers’ panties wet.
The show had been her idea, something that she’d pitched to her station, CW30, after noticing a dip in viewership of the after thirty feminine market. Most of their reality shows targeted millennials with their prank and comedy shows, but the plus thirty market controlled most of their sponsorship and their future. She hadn’t known they would accept it with open arms. CW30 was known for airing all the juicy details about celebrities, reality show stars, and people famous for…being famous.
And one of her first calls after accepting the position as field producer had been to Archer. As much as she hated to admit it, the man was talented and hot, something that was harder to find than one might think. He’d taken a little convincing, but after an in-person meeting with her, he’d suspiciously accepted. Work had been stressful, sexy, and irritating since that fateful day. While he might be hot as hell, Archer was also arrogant, smug, and had a habit of being way too forward in front of the crew and America.
She cleared her throat, trying to focus. “See that you do. Make it quick, we only have about thirty more minutes for this shoot and we need to move on.”
She realized her mistake too late. He chuckled and said, “I don’t rush my…advances, sweetheart.”
She rolled her eyes, knowing that her viewers would never see it, but it made her feel better anyway. “Let’s go,” she ordered, motioning to continue, then looked up at the sky. In about forty minutes, it the sun would be going down. Her perfect shoot was disappearing before her eyes. Move your cute ass, Payne, she pleaded silently. She needed that spark of magic that he had a habit of making under her careful direction. “And be careful. If you ruin this shot, you’re fired.”
He didn’t even justify that with a response. He knew she wouldn’t fire him. She couldn’t. He led this show in viewers, and the chemistry between the two of them only served to make better TV.
“I’ll get started as soon as I get a black coffee. I had a long night.” His tone was playful, and she knew exactly what he meant by long. Damn him, now she had visions running through her head of what he looked like against black silk sheets with nothing but a smile…and possibly a tool belt.
“I’m sure you and your hand had a wonderful evening together, but can we please get on with this?” Vanessa mocked, and several of the crewmembers sucked their teeth and began to cheer her on. “We haven’t got all day.”
Score two for Vanessa, she thought to herself proudly.
“Why don’t you come on over here and I’ll show you exactly what my magic hands can do.” Archer wiggled an eyebrow at her and frustration rose into Vanessa’s throat. But she felt something else, something buried very deep down that she pushed to the pit of her stomach and hid it there so that it would never see the light of day.
“I’d rather stick pins in my eyes,” Vanessa said, shaking her head.
“Your loss, sweetheart.” Archer shrugged and finally turned to get on with the shoot. He liked to make Vanessa work hard for what she wanted. It was infuriating, and ignited a fire within her like no other ever had. She was pretty sure he knew exactly how his teasing exasperated her and did it on purpose.
***
“That’s a wrap for today,” Vanessa called, and the cameras were instantly shut off at her order. Archer was finally allowed to drop his tools and take a break. He pulled off his hard hat and ran his fingers through his dark hair. He could feel the eyes of several women on set watching him, but there was one who went blindly about her business, which intrigued him. Vanessa.
He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about her had him panting after her like a schoolboy. Maybe it was that she constantly turned him down, or because of the way she dressed, spoke, and did what she wanted to do. She didn’t wear those tight shorts for his benefit, didn’t put on those shoes because she wanted him ogling her ass, even though he did anyway.
“Hey, sweet cheeks,” he greeted her as he slid up beside her and smacked her on the behind. “How did I do today?”
Vanessa jumped and whipped around to face him with a fire blazing in her pretty gray eyes. “Payne, you are treading on very dangerous ground.”
“What’s the matter? You don’t like the touch of a real man?” he smirked. Vanessa glanced around the set as though she was looking for something.
“Excuse me, have you seen a real man around here anywhere?” she asked a passerby who gave her a confused expression before hurrying on their way. Archer couldn’t help but chuckle at the way she flushed from head to toe when he irritated her. Oh, how he loved to torment her, the one woman who tried to seem immune to his charms. But he saw those flushed cheeks, and the way she stared at his shoulders when he was doing something onset. She wasn’t immune, but she made a hell of an attempt not to be.
“Admit it, V, I get under your skin.” He crossed his arms over his chest, intentionally causing the muscles to pop. He was satisfied when her gaze was drawn to them. He worked hard for what he had, both financially and physically, and he didn’t mind flaunting either.
“Don’t call me that. My name is Vanessa,” Vanessa replied with a quick shake of her head before she prodded him in the peck. “And you, Archer Payne, do not get under my skin.”
“Then why is your hand shaking?” Archer teased in a low voice. Vanessa quickly pulled her hand away from him and placed it behind her back, out of sight. “Admit it, you like me.”
“Play all you want on camera,” Vanessa told him firmly. “But when the cameras aren’t rolling, you can give up this act. Some women might think it’s charming, but I just find it frustrating.”
“Oh, ouch,” Archer placed a hand upon his chest. “You wound me, my lady.”
“Yeah, right,” Vanessa rolled her eyes at him. Damn, how the last of the evening light made her eyes shine when she did that. Archer felt his manhood harden in his jeans uncomfortably. He cursed himself for being attracted to such a woman. There were plenty of pretty women in his life, but it was the one that infuriated him that set him on fire. Deep down, he knew he could never have her, and not only because she was basically his boss. She was the reason he was on the show in the first place. She’d obviously seen something before everyone else had.
“I think I might die of the trauma if I don’t get some mouth to mouth.” Archer leaned forward towards her until their breath was one – her exhale becoming his inhale. She smelled like fruit, something spicy, and female. She was intoxicating. He could almost get drunk on the smell of her. If he ever tasted her…his jeans strained at the thought.
“Oh, Archer, get out of here!” Vanessa snapped as she slammed the palm of her hand against his chest and shoved him away. He laughed as he watched her face flush and her eyes grow bright. She was an intensely beautiful woman, especially when she was passionate. “Get out of here. Go on!”
With that, she turned her attention to one of the set workers who requested her help, and Archer watched her turn back to business. He had to admit that she had a knack for the job. She took charge of a set like nobody else, and always knew how to get the job done. Not that he would ever admit that to her. He didn’t want to give her the wrong idea about why he was drawn to her…although, everything about her made him want her. It wasn’t just her body, her smile, or the way she mastered her job. It was everything.
For a few moments, he watched her move about the set as though she was queen over all the eye could see. She waved and gestured, explaining to her employees everything that she wanted them to set up for filming the next day. The way she took charge was admirable. He’d always been the same way when it came to his work – ready to get shit done. He also appreciated her ambition as a woman rising up in a traditionally male field.
When she noticed him watching her, she called over, “Go home, Payne!”
“But I wasn’t done making your life a misery,” Archer protested with a shake of his head.
“To make my life a misery, I would actually have to care what you have to say,” Vanessa told him as she placed her hands on her hips and glowered at him. “Now go home and get some rest because we have another long day of shooting tomorrow.”
Archer groaned inwardly. He loved his job and being in front of the camera, but one thing he did hate were the long hours.
“I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow morning then, boss.” Archer tipped his hard hat to her.
“By the way, don’t be having another long night tonight. You will need your energy,” Vanessa said and furrowed her brow at him. He fought the urge to smooth the skin with his finger and place a kiss there.
Shocked, he froze at his emotional thoughts. Place a kiss on her skin? No, he just wanted to have sex with her. He needed to stick to that. He couldn’t afford to get involved romantically, but maybe a physical relationship was still on the table for them.
“Is somebody jealous?” Archer asked, and couldn’t help but laugh at the way Vanessa opened and closed her mouth, thinking carefully on how to reply.
“I don’t want you burning yourself out on my set,” she insisted.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, my dear.” Archer gave her a quick mocking bow and when he straightened up, she was scowling at him deeper than ever.
“Just get out of here and leave me in peace would you?”
“Don’t get too used to the peace because I’ll be right back at it tomorrow,” Archer promised before he turned and made his way to his car. It was just as well. He could smell the scent of rain on the breeze. It was time to get home and get a run in before it really started to come down. There was nothing he hated more than wet fur.
All day long, he’d been surrounded by humans. He couldn’t wait to get home and turn into his natural form.
Archer’s home was a large cabin isolated by woods on all four sides, making it the perfect place to be in isolation. There were no women vying for his attention, no prying eyes. He could strip off his clothes in his back yard, something he could never do if he lived in the hustle and bustle of the city.
That’s exactly what he did the moment he got home. He walked through the house, out onto the patio, and began to strip off his jeans and black t-shirt, kicking off his work boots as he went. Before long, he stood naked in the middle of the garden.When he shook out his body he began to change, shifting and transforming into a magnificent gray wolf. He caught his reflection in the glass of the patio doors and couldn’t help but smile to himself. This was his true form, He felt completely at ease.
After examining the state of his thick, gray coat, he turned and began to prowl off in the direction of the woods. His huge paws pounded on the ground as the first droplets of rain began to splatter lazily down from the heavens. When he reached the trees, he was relieved to know that the thick canopy above his head shielded from the elements.
As he ran, he thought back on the events of the day, especially focused on the way he’d made Vanessa squirm several times. He couldn’t help but think of the way she blushed and glowered at him when he teased her, and smiled at the memory of it. No one else reacted the way that she did to his charms, and he had to admit that he liked that about her, Although he’d never admit it to her face.
He was, lost in thought when he felt something barrel into him from the side. For a moment panic overwhelmed him, and he began to writhe and fight beneath the heavy weight that landed on top of him. Then, a familiar scent washed over his nostrils and he began to relax. He rolled away from the black wolf that had knocked him over, and shook the mulch from his coat before he turned to see his half-brother crouched in front of him.
Shaking off his wolf form, Archer stood before his brother who instantly began to shift and change as well. As soon as he was transformed, Archer lightly punched him in the chest. “You should know better than to sneak up on me like that!”
“Who said I was sneaking?” Keaton scowled. “Even a human could have heard me coming from a mile away. Is something on your mind dulling your senses?”
Archer didn’t like the way his brother examined his face, searching for any sign that his question rang true . He gritted his teeth, steeled his expression, and responded, “nothing that I can’t handle.”
“You know, it’s really not safe for us out here like this,” Keaton insisted, and Archer instantly knew where he was going. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. “We should be running with a pack.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not safe to run with a pack. Too many wolves in one place brings far too much attention,” Archer exclaimed.
“How would you know?” Keaton demanded. Archer sometimes hated the innocence of his younger brother. “You have never been in a pack before.”
“There’s a good reason for that.” Archer shook his head and sighed. “Our father was part of a pack remember?”
“Just because things didn’t work out for him doesn’t mean they wouldn’t for us,” shrugged Keaton. “There’s safety in numbers.”
“That is just a stupid cliché. When there are more of us in one place, we become sitting ducks just waiting to be popped off one at a time,” Archer insisted.
“Why do you always crush my hopes and dreams?” said Keaton. He pouted longingly, reminding Archer of Vanessa once again. Archer shook his head, forcing away the thought of her so that he could focus on the task at hand.
“I said no and that is final.” Archer straightened up to his full height so that he stood taller than his younger brother by an extra two inches. “We are a two wolf pack.”
“It’s no pack at all,” Keaton sighed, and Archer felt instantly sorry for him. He knew that his brother was lonely. The loneliness sometimes got to him too, but there was no way around it when the risk was so great.
“If our secret gets out, we will end up dead...or worse…” Archer said, trailing off.
“I know, I know, we could end up as lab rats,” Keaton rolled his eyes. It was a story he had heard a million times before. Archer hated repeating himself, but it seemed like the only way to get his brother to listen.
“We are safer as we are, brother,” Archer insisted. He placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze of comfort.
“I just…I had hoped that there might be a few females out there like us,” Keaton said. He shrugged his shoulders and Archer’s hand dropped down to his side. “You know, it would be nice if we could have someone to share our secrets with instead of hiding them.”
Archer sighed at that. He had once hoped for the same thing, although he had given up on that search a long time ago.
“Believe me, I know how you feel,” he admitted, with his thoughts on Vanessa. What he wouldn’t give to have a woman like that know everything about him. She would be strong, willing to shoulder half the burden. But he would never be able to trust her. It was more than his personal burden. It was his brother’s secret as well, and therefore too dangerous to tell anyone else. “The truth is, I don’t know if there is anyone else out there like us. I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking.”
“We could follow the rumors,” Keaton suggested. “There’s always some story or another going around somewhere.”
“I said no. That’s my final say on the matter,” he said firmly. Archer began to shift and change then. “I am going home because it’s starting to rain, and I have things to do.”
“You know, I have never met a wolf who hates the rain,” Keaton laughed.
“That’s because you’ve never met another wolf,” Archer reminded him just before he fully transformed. He gave his brother a bow of his head before he charged off in the direction of the cabin. As he drew closer, the rain grew heavier. It soaked through his fur down to the skin. By the time he reached the garden, he had to shake off the water along with his wolf form.
Archer’s skin crawled as it always did after a shift. He found himself wishing that he could return to his wolf form, his most natural state. But he knew he had things to do. He couldn’t afford to let his human life go downhill, even if he did prefer to be running in the woods.
***
One Week Later
Filming day in and day out was hard enough without Archer’s antics, but Vanessa found that by the end of the week she was growing to the end of her tether. However, she kept her composure. It wasn’t until she saw the great monstrosity that was being removed from the back of one of the trucks that she really began to flip her lid.
“Payne! What the hell is that?” she demanded as she saw the intimidatingly handsome man overseeing the other workers pulling piece after piece of what seemed to be a shower cubicle from the truck bed.
“A ‘good morning’ would do just fine, sweetheart,” Archer replied with a smirk. Vanessa barely managed to stop herself from reaching out and slapping some sense into him. Sometimes she loathed that familiar smug, handsome face. It wasn’t fair. He should have been scarred, overly sinewy, with construction dust all over him. Instead, he managed to look even hotter, if that was possible.
My god, he’s so arrogant, she thought to herself. She hated arrogant men at the best of times, but Archer Payne seemed to be the worst of the worst. Perhaps that was just because he was so damned attractive, not that she’d ever let him know that. His head might explode if it got any bigger than it already was.
“Archer, what the hell is it? I didn’t authorize that thing on my set!” she said, pointing at the parts that were being piled up beside the truck.
“It’s the new shower I ordered for the project,” Archer explained. “The last one just didn’t work for me. It wasn’t big enough, if you know what I mean.”
When he raised his eyebrow at her, Vanessa struggled not to explode. Stay calm. You’re calm. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides and her teeth clenched into a snarl.
“Archer! I have about had it up to here with you,” she hissed, gesturing with a hand above her head.
“Well then, I guess it’s a good thing you only come up to my shoulder then or we would be in trouble,” Archer laughed, and he placed his hands on his hips. “Aren’t you the one always going on about us using our own initiative?”
“On set! Not spending company money to buy yourself fancy new toys!” Vanessa couldn’t stop herself from yelling then. “Besides, not everyone has a Neanderthal taking showers in their master suite!”
“If it was just me, I’d say it was fine. But this Neanderthal needs help washing his…back. Come here, let’s try this on for size.” He reached out, attempting to grab her from a few feet away. She mentally winced. If he grabbed her, she knew that sparks would fly. Nothing good would come of it.
“Don’t,” she warned, taking a step back as he gave her a devastatingly charming grin. When the cameras swung around to her, she was suddenly all too aware that they were being watched. She cursed herself for letting go of her anger as something nagged her in the back of her mind, and she remembered that the cameras were filming live.
Goddamn it! A voice was screaming in her head and she barely managed to stop herself from muttering the words out loud. In a measured, calm voice, she stated, “no new toys. Not on my set. Not without my approval.”
“Oh, honey, I don’t need toys to get the job done,” Archer said, winking at her. There would be no way to fan the flames of her anger..
“Hey, you two! I think you better cool it for a minute and come look at this!” one of the set supervisors yelled over.
“In a minute!” Vanessa and Archer yelled in unison, without taking their eyes off each other. Their gazes were connected with such intense fury that Vanessa found herself drawn to him as though a magnet was pulling them closer.
“Really, you need to see this!” the man repeated, and Vanessa finally relented. She whipped around, suddenly realizing just how close she had gotten to Archer. It was too close for comfort. She didn’t turn quick enough to miss the smirk that spread across Archer’s face, and she found herself ready to yell at him all over again.
“What is it, Robbie?” Vanessa asked as she turned her attention to the tablet device that was shoved into her hands.
“You have got to look at this,” he told her as Archer wandered over. Vanessa was hyper aware of how close he was to her, and the way he sidled up behind her to look over her shoulder.
“What is it?” he asked, and the soft warmth of his breath almost overwhelmed her. She fought a shiver, trying to focus on the screen in front of her.
Vanessa watched, amazed, as the tweets began to roll in. One after another, they popped upon the screen with #hardhats and Vanessa couldn’t believe her eyes.
Are Vanessa and Archer a thing? #hardhats
I want to see some more of that Vanessa chick. She’s got a nice ass #hardhats
Those two are on fire #hardhats
Whew it’s like a chemical fire onset and it’s HOT HOT HOT #hardhats
I want her to rip off his shirt – do it V, do it #hardhats
This show just got SO BAD. And it’s SO GOOD. Cannot stop watching! #hardhats
Just then, Vanessa’s phone began to ring in her jacket pocket. Her heart hammered in her chest as she pulled out the device. Her heart dropped when she saw that it was her boss calling. A lump formed in her throat as she imagined the kind of shit storm she was going to receive from him the moment she answered. Taking a deep breath, she pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers and answered the call in a calm voice. “Hello Simon. Is everything alright?”
She had to play it cool, not letting on that she’d already seen the tweets. He would go even more bonkers if he knew that anybody was on social media while they were on set. The kinds of things that could be leaked with the simple press of a button were all too damaging.
“Everything is wonderful, Vanessa! Simply wonderful!” Simon sounded awfully chipper, and Vanessa couldn’t decide whether it was too good to be true.
“What can I do for you?” she asked calmly. If he was going go postal, she wanted to avoid it as long as possible, although she knew she would have to rip the band aid off sooner rather than later.
“The powers that be have been talking, and they want to see more of you,” Simon explained. “We here at CW30 have been talking, and we’d like you to get some more behind the scenes shots with our main man, Archer.”
Vanessa found herself glancing at the infuriating man who still stood too close, and she wasn’t sure whether or not he could hear every word that Simon was saying on the other end of the phone. She quickly stepped away from him in the hopes that she might keep the conversation a little more private.
“What are you asking me to do?” she questioned.
“We want you to follow Archer around, see where he goes after filming, and give the public a little of the real Archer,” Simon explained in an overly excited voice. Vanessa felt her stomach tighten with concern.
“You want me to spend more time with him?” she gaped into the phone, unable to believe what she was hearing. The time she spent with him was already enough for her. She couldn’t stand the thought of having to follow him around like a little lost puppy.
“Yes, and the best thing is that the bosses want to see you on screen too,” Simon continued, and Vanessa really began to feel anxious. She had never been in front of the camera before, at least not before now. She knew from the tweets that at least one camera must have gotten the tail end of their argument, if not the whole thing. “You guys have chemistry and the public clearly want to see some more of it.”
“If by chemistry, you mean I want to rip his eyes out of his skull sometimes, then yes, I guess you are right.” Vanessa glared at Archer, hoping that he could now hear every word she was saying.
“Right back at you, sweetheart,” he called over, smirking again. So he had heard her.
“Get the job done and CW30 will consider bringing ‘Hard Hats’ back for a second season,” Simon said into her ear. That was the bombshell that sealed the deal.
“I’m on it, sir,” Vanessa sighed, although she was sure she felt her soul suck right out of her body the moment she agreed. She had just sold her soul to the devil and she could never get it back, no matter how hard she tried.
Hanging up the phone, she turned back to Archer and gave him a wiggle of her finger. “My trailer, now. We need to talk.”
“Oh, looky here boys,” Archer joked. “It looks like she wants me all to herself now.”
With that, he began to stalk over to her and Vanessa barely managed to stop herself from sucker punching him in the arm.
“Stop it, Payne. You’ve gotten us into enough mess as it is,” she insisted as she turned and led him over to her small trailer on the outskirts of the set.
The second the door closed behind them, she felt a little more relieved, She hoped that the camera crew had not thought to bug her trailer while she’d been on set.
“What’s up, babe?” he asked as he dropped down onto the nearest seat.
“You can cut the crap, Payne. There are no cameras around now,” Vanessa said as she pulled open the nearest cupboard to grab a bottle of water and some painkillers. The headache that had begun forming in her temples was going to be debilitating if she didn’t get a handle on it.
“Like I told you before, this is all me, baby,” Archer said, opened his arms wide, as if to indicate she should take a good look at him. Little did he know, she already was…she was always looking at him. The man demanded attention; because everything about him screamed confidence.
“Ugh, why the hell did I have to go and cast someone as arrogant and self-confident as you?” she snapped at him, trying to take out her ire on not being able to resist him. “You really do get on my nerves.”
“Come on, we both know you want me,” Archer said without laughing. There was something deadly serious about the way he’d said it, although the words themselves were teasing in nature. His eyes burned with intensity, and somehow she felt the trailer shrinking around him. His massive frame filled up the tiny trailer, and she could smell him. She reasoned that even after he left, there would still be remnants of that smell. She hoped that there would be. The man smelled like heaven – all sex and plywood, dust, and cologne.
“No, I really don’t. But it seems that the public want to see more of the two of us together,” Vanessa confessed. She felt bile in the back of her throat at the mere thought of what she was about to say. She knew that Archer was a private person. He might be an open book to her, but in front of the camera, he never wanted any of his personal information on display. She knew the tabloids and paparazzi had the same rules – nothing private could be shared or he’d give them nothing at all. “CW30 want me to follow you around and get a look at your daily life.”
“You already do that here on set,” Archer shrugged. “No big deal. Why do you look like that’s not all?”
“From what Simon said, they want me to see you at home. In your natural habitat, so to speak,” Vanessa admitted in a soft voice. She couldn’t help but notice the way that Archer stiffened at that, and she dove in while she could. “What’s wrong, Payne? Have you got something to hide? Because you should know from my reputation that I am excellent at finding things people don’t want to share,” she said.
“No way in hell is that happening.” Archer shook his head and pushed himself abruptly to his feet. In a firm voice he said, “I am not having you stalk me. I can’t believe you actually thought of this. You know how I feel about my private life.”
“It wasn’t my idea. But why not, exactly?” Vanessa was intrigued by his reaction. “Does Archer Payne really have something to hide? I thought you were an open book from the way you act, like you are getting a different woman in the sack every night.”
Vanessa knew that she had him on a hook. She could tell from the way that he squirmed. His face darkened immeasurably.
“You can forget it,” Archer said in a deep, sexy voice. “It is not going to happen. I have every right to keep my privacy. I didn’t sign any contract that say I have to let you into my personal life.”
“You know that what the company wants, they get. Right?” Vanessa reminded him. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
Vanessa saw a flash of anger run through Archer’s dark eyes then and she had to stop herself from taking a step back. She couldn’t have him thinking that she would back down.
“Don’t push me on this, Vanessa,” Archer said, his voice one step up from a growl. “I said no, and I meant no. I am not doing it. If you want to follow some idiot around for all the juicy details of his life, go and find someone else.”
“But the company likes the idiot that we have,” Vanessa protested with a quirk of a smile.
“I said no,” Archer refused again, and this time he slipped past Vanessa, making his way from the trailer and slamming the door loudly behind him. Her phone began to buzz off the moment the door slammed, and she groaned inwardly, knowing exactly what it would be. More tweets were coming in about how Vanessa and Archer had just had the biggest row ever on live television.
“Great!” she hissed as she threw herself down into the seat where he’d been sitting only a few moments before. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?”
She knew what she was going to have to do if she wanted to keep her job. She would have to get Archer to change his mind. The public wanted him, and that meant that she needed him. Otherwise, she could kiss her show and her career goodbye all in one foul swoop.
Placing her head in her hands she gritted her teeth and groaned out her frustration into her palms, hoping that nobody else on set could hear her and how Archer Payne had affected her. The last thing she needed was for people to get the wrong idea about their relationship.
This is strictly professional, she told herself, although she had a terrible feeling that the way Archer Payne had gotten under her skin was far more personal than everything that went on while they were on set.
She tried desperately to push her thoughts away and turn to how she would change Archer’s mind. She had a feeling he was a man who wasn’t easily persuaded to do something that he didn’t want to do.
***
Archer deleted the third voicemail he received from Vanessa in less than twenty-four hours. He gritted his teeth as he did so, hating having to do such a thing to her, knowing that it would piss her off, but he couldn’t help it. He had to do what he had to do. There was no way he could let her in, let her see the man behind the mask that was Archer Payne. He knew all too well the kind of woman Vanessa was, the kind of woman who would make a quick buck off a secret like his in a heartbeat.
He gritted his teeth and dropped his cell phone down onto the bed beside him. Staring up at the ceiling, he did his best to calm the rage inside him with deep, large breaths. Thoughts raced through his mind, images of what might happen if he allowed Vanessa and CW30 to discover his secret. He shivered at the thought of being a lab rat hooked up to beeping machine after beeping machine, being poked and prodded with needles and never seeing the light of day again. That wasn’t a life he would risk for any amount of money.
There was only one solution. He would have to give Vanessa the cold shoulder until she really got the hint and left the idea well alone.
They can’t film anything without my permission, he thought to himself, although he couldn’t help but wonder just how true that was. He knew well enough that it didn’t always work that way in this industry. People had been caught out before. Why should he be any different?
“What the hell have I gotten myself into?” he asked as the sound of his cell phone ringing hit his ears. He picked up the phone, rejected the call when he saw that it was Vanessa, and flicked it onto silent.
He needed to let off some steam. He couldn’t do that with his phone blasting at him every five minutes. There was only one thing for it: he needed to run again. Pushing himself up off the bed, he headed out into the garden and did the only thing he could do. He stripped down and shifted as quickly and effortlessly as possible, loping off into the woods to enjoy the peace and quiet that calmed him like nothing else ever could.
The breeze in his fur and the dead leaves beneath his bare paw pads was enough to ease the anxiety he felt towards what had been suggested. Yet he couldn’t help but think of the hurt look on Vanessa’s face when he had refused her. That look would haunt him for the rest of his days, knowing that he may have messed everything up for her too. He couldn’t help but feel guilty at the thought he might have ruined another person’s career to serve his own selfish needs.
After his run, he tried to cool off steam by doing laps in the pool. On his third lap, he saw a shape from underneath the water that was at the foot of the pool. It was someone in a pair of cute coral shorts and a white tank top. He knew without surfacing who it was. She’d returned, apparently.
He did one more lap just to irritate her, and then stood tall in the water, watching as she took in his naked chest. “Forget something?”
“I did actually. What do you want most in life, Payne?” Her soft voice took him by surprise, as did the words. He’d expected her to be a hard ass, to push the boss button.
He took a deep breath, and then expelled his breath in a sigh. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you want? Obviously, you don’t want to be doing this show forever. So, what are you really trying to get out of it?” she asked seriously, gazing at him intently. Then, she added, “Because I can make it happen. Whatever it is.”
“I’m not sure you can,” he said in a growl. He launched himself out of the pool in a show of athleticism. When he stood, he was very much in her space. She could feel the warmth of his body as it aligned with hers. If she took a deep breath, her chest would expand against his
Focus, Vanessa, she warned herself. The man was hot, but she needed to focus. “Tell me.”
He said something in a low, deep voice that she couldn’t have possibly heard correctly. She asked, “what was that?”
Archer smiled, all of his white teeth shining perfectly. Damn him. “Go to dinner with me.”
Vanessa struggled to comprehend the words, even though she’d heard them clear enough this time. “You don’t really mean that.”
He seemed almost as confused as she was that the words had came out in that order. But he leaned down until his lips were almost touching hers. She refused to back down or to step away. “I do. Have dinner with me. A place of my choosing, and you should wear something…nice.”
Vanessa swallowed, a lump in her throat. “And if I do that, I can shadow you?”
He gave a bark of laughter. “Absolutely not. But I’ll do a couple segments for you to show the fans me in my natural habitat, so to speak. Agreed?”
She took a beat. One dinner? What could it hurt? If he was willing to compromise, she needed to be as well. Sighing, she accepted. “Alright. Wait, what do you mean by something nice? Don’t I always look nice?”
He looked over her with a heated glance that damn near incinerated her current apparel. “You do, but I want something new. Something you picked out just for me.”
She struggled to laugh at that or to look away. Something in his glance told her that he meant what he said. And really, what was the big deal? None of this meant they were crossing any boundaries. Not yet anyway, her mind whispered.
He picked her up in his truck, which was a perfect representation of the man himself: it was big, loud, and in no way inconspicuous. He didn’t believe in flying under the radar, and damn it if he wasn’t excited to be picking up Vanessa tonight. He’d been looking forward to this for days, but the infuriating woman had made him wait until Saturday.
Truth be told, waiting was probably a good thing, because it gave him time to get his thoughts in order. There was something about her that was like a magnet, drawing him in. At the same time, he knew he shouldn’t get close to her. He couldn’t allow her to learn his secret. So he could pull her close, but not too close. Better to keep it about dinner and sex rather than something real.
It was disappointing to know that this couldn’t lead anywhere, but he’d take what he could get. The woman was driving him crazy with her short-shorts and cute little wedge heels. He knew it was the same type of clothing she’d worn before, but seeing her at his place had put all sorts of ideas in his head about how he’d like to take off what she’d been wearing then…and now.
And right now, she looked absolutely delectable. The dress was a knockout – fitted black on the bottom and a type of blue-green flowy overlay on the top with black glittery outlines. It reminded him of a butterfly’s wings. She wore suede heels of the same blue-green. It made her sleek, tan legs look even longer. Her ass looked plump and scrumptious. His hands twitched, desperate to feel her soft skin.
“You look…incredible,” he admitted to her in a deep baritone. He watched her flush, and enjoyed watching her golden skin grow pink with his compliment. She smiled, accepting it.
“You look pretty handsome too,” she said softly. He was surprised that she’d even noticed. It made him feel better, like he wasn’t on an island with the attraction he felt for her. She felt it too, taking notice of him and what he was doing, wearing. He’d chosen a simple black button-down over dark jeans.
Her eyes took him in, looking glassy and bright. He cleared his throat. “If you keep looking at me that way, we’re not going to make it to dinner.”
That seemed to shake her out of it. “I’m not looking at you a certain way, Payne.”
“Why do you always do that?” he asked.
This time, she really did seem confused. “Do what?”
“Call me Payne,” he said, brushing his hands off on his pants with effort, trying not to grab her and tug her closer to him.
She laughed, cocking her head prettily. “What else should I call you?”
“Archer,” he said in a quiet, deep voice. She seemed to understand that he wasn’t kidding around. “You never call me Archer.”
She bit down on her lip, drawing his attention to the fullness of it. He nearly groaned aloud. She was like a tasty cherry, waiting to be bitten...how he’d love to taste her sweet juices. He could feel himself growing hard in his jeans, a nearly permanent issue when he was around her, or thinking of her. Which seemed to be all the time lately; he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Instead of fighting him, she simply whispered his name on an exhale. “Archer…”
This time, he did groan out loud. “Vanessa. Go back in the house.”
“What? Why?” she said, looking around, probably prepared for a mugger or a carjacker. “Why do I need to go back inside?”
“If you don’t go back in,” he started, stopping himself from moving forward. “I’m going to kiss you…and it’s not going to be quick. We’re not going to make it to dinner. At least, not the food variety.”
She gasped, but didn’t move forward or backward. They spent the next ten seconds, just looking at each other. When she didn’t jolt back into the house like a scared bunny, he took that as a permission of sorts.There was only one way he could keep his distance - he had to keep it about sex. He was tired of trying to keep his distance from her. So tired. And so hungry.
He reached forward, drawing her into him. “Vanessa…” he groaned. He leaned down and she leaned up, and they pressed their lips together. He groaned again. She tasted like heaven: something sweet, spicy, and dangerously seductive that made him keep teasing, licking, and sucking her until he wanted that scent and that taste to stay with him forever.
After a minute, he drew back. He knew that in a few seconds, he was going to lift her up, carry her inside, and fuck her against the first surface that he found. He told her so, and enjoyed the way her flush floated down to her chest, and below the neckline of her dress.
She cleared her throat. “So, dinner?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, dinner…”
He grabbed her hand, enjoying the soft, small feel of it in his grasp. He walked her down to the truck and took her to dinner, the whole time doing whatever it took to keep his hands to himself. He wanted her. Badly. More than anyone he’d ever wanted before. But he needed to back it up, keep it casual.
After the first behind-the-scenes segment, Vanessa realized that Archer was giving her the side he wanted the public to see: the side that was arrogant, charming, and in control. But she wanted a different side. She wanted the Archer that wasn’t on camera. The one that was vulnerable, honest, and human.
So, she did the only thing that she could. She surprised him. On a normal Friday night, she just showed up at his house. She let herself in with the code that he’d given her for emergencies. But he wasn’t inside. She made herself a cup of coffee, enjoying the taste while looking out the big glass windows. Then she saw him and gasped out loud. He was naked.
Good lord, the man was beautiful. Perfectly sculpted, muscles in places she didn’t even know they were supposed to be, He had an incredible sheen to his tan skin, and she felt that he was the devil incarnate. Sexy, masculine, and confident, he strode over his property and into the house completely nude.
She could sense the moment he saw her. His body tensed, and then relaxed. She watched him grow hard in front of her eyes. “Archer…”
He grinned, and his member jutted proudly up. “Finally.”
She couldn’t look away, couldn’t pretend she hadn’t seen. “Why are you…?”
“The real question is why aren’t you,” he said in a dangerously soft voice. “I want to see you. All of you. Show me.”
She heard his command. It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order, one that she found increasingly difficult to ignore. Fine. If he wanted to play those games, she’d play. She was no shrinking violet. She lifted up her tank top, exposing the black lacy balconette bra to his hungry gaze. His eyes stared, taking it all in.
“More,” he demanded, licking his lips. She watched his hand reach down to grasp his penis. He tugged on the base of his cock, and then ran his long fingers up his length. He was big everywhere. She could feel herself grow wet watching him touch himself like the most erotic porn she’d ever seen.
Unable to turn him down, she unbuttoned her shorts, exposing the top of her black lace thong. Without his prompting, she slid a hand into her shorts and under her panties, caressing her wetness with a moan. He let out a simultaneous groan.
“You’re killing me, woman,” he growled, squeezing his shaft until precum moistened the tip. She licked her lips, wishing she could taste him. “Turn around, or I’m not letting you go.”
She heard his words, understood the promise and the threat. She found herself not wanting to leave, but knew she wasn’t ready for this. Not yet. He was clearly hiding something, and she needed to find out what it was before fully immersing herself in Archer.
She did leave, much to his chagrin. But she couldn’t stop thinking about his heated gaze on her, his fingers on his length, wishing that his long fingers were inside of her instead of on himself.
They returned to normal shooting schedules, but the attraction he’d felt for Vanessa had tripled. His eyes watched her wherever she went. He could smell her, hear her voice wherever she went onset. She was like a drug, and he wanted more and more of her.
“Doug, over here. I want it to look clean, though, not busy,” she ordered in her quiet, feminine voice. Today she was wearing little jean shorts and a black tank top that left her midriff exposed through the transparent fabric. He knew she’d worn it for him – to tease him, infuriate him, and he was both. He was mad that other men could see what was his, but was so hard for her that he ached. His cock could bust through this set faster than his hammer.
He was watching her, enjoying the way she caught his eye. “What are you looking at, Archer?”
He fought a smile. She’d called him Archer, not Payne. She wasn’t just seeing him as a piece of meat, or just some actor. She was seeing him for him, as he was seeing her. “Just one smokin’ hot babe.”
Some of the crew laughed, but most just kept on with what they were doing. The chemistry between Archer and Vanessa was old news. Most of the crew was used to it by now. But they didn’t know that things were changing between them. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he knew something was changing.
Suddenly, there was a loud crack and then a boom. He watched with a wide gaze as the roof of the set started to collapse in front of him. It was like time slowed, and then almost stopped. Vanessa would be crushed. If she was not killed instantly, she would be in a world of hurt. His gut dropped, his body froze for one second, and then he was spurred into motion. He had a nanosecond to get to her, and there was only one way to protect them both.
He’d like to say he’d decided what to do, but it hadn’t been a choice. It had been a reaction. Protect his woman, or watch her be injured by something out of his control. He couldn’t let that happen.
He changed mid-leap, turning into the gray wolf that was more himself than even his human skin. He knew that this form could withstand more than his human form. Somewhere in the back of his mind, it registered that the cameras were still rolling, but he couldn’t stop his instinct to save Vanessa at all costs.
When he reached her, he covered her instantly. He could feel her shock, her surprise. There was instant of fear, but when she looked into his human eyes, she knew. She recognized him in his wolf form. While parts of the set crashed and broke over his animal back, he couldn’t look away from her. He let out a yelp when a beam fell square on his spine, but then everything was quiet again.
He felt the crew start to remove the rubble. Then, they stepped back. He started to change back into his human form, his nakedness the least of his problems.
“Archer,” she started, then failed to finish the sentence. She reached up, touching his face as if she was seeing him for the first time. Then, without hesitation, she pressed her lips against his. He groaned, sucking her in like a vacuum. He’d never wanted someone so bad in his entire life. He didn’t care about the crew, or the cameras.
After several throat clearings and her whimpers growing loudly, he pulled back, pushing the hair back from her face. “V, are you alright?”
She nodded. “You…you were a…”
“A wolf,” he finished for her. He dropped his voice to a little over a whisper. “I’m a shifter, Vanessa. But we should get going. I don’t want to talk about this on camera. I don’t want to share this on camera.” He motioned to his raging hard on and she nodded.
She grabbed his hand, and pulled him to his feet along with her. The rest of the crew simply stood, mouths agape. Vanessa and Archer left the set and got into his truck. There, he told her everything…about when he’d first discovered he was a shifter, about other shifters, and why he couldn’t tell her about his ability. Finally, he said he would have to leave this place and go underground. He couldn’t stay here and be treated like a lab rat.
She was upset, but seemed to understand that it was the only thing to do. He could see on her face that she cared about him more than just as an employee or a friend, and that warmed his heart. He’d been worried that, as a producer, she could use this tape as a weapon to grow her career. But looking into her honest eyes, he knew she would never do anything like that.
It was four days after abandoning the television show and set that he realized Vanessa meant more to him than just a quick lay. He wanted her for the long haul. She was his, and nothing could keep him from her. He texted her to meet him at his house, saying that he had something important to tell her.
When he got to his house, he took in her scent hungrily. He knew she was already here but was still amazed to see her standing by the pool, clad only in a simple cotton dress. “V.”
“Archer,” she said softly. She didn’t move forward, waiting for him to make the first move.
And he did. He met her side, pulling her in with a sharp tug until she was safe and secure in the circle of his muscular arms. He breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of her hair, skin, and perfume. She was his drug and he was tired of fighting her, especially now that she knew his secret.
“I missed you,” he admitted, surprised at how much. He heard her sniff and nod inside the grasp of his arms.
“Don’t leave again,” she begged, and then looked up at him. He couldn’t do anything but agree with that. He tilted her chin up, and they kissed so passionately that the two of them were breathing hard after it was done. “Archer. You should see something first.”
She tugged him inside the house to the living room. There she pressed play on something that she’d already put inside the DVD player. He watched in amazement at the footage of his shifting and saving her. Then she deleted the file. “It’s the only copy,” she told him.
He looked at her, then back at the TV. She pressed play on several other files; all of them were interviews with the crew that had been working that day. Each crewmember had a different story – one man referred to a dog that walked on scene but was luckily saved. One said he saw nothing, and another said was like a blur, but someone had saved Vanessa onsite.
“They’re not going to say anything,” he said, shocked. “None of them are going to say anything. Because of you.”
She turned him around and put both hands on his face, reaching up on tiptoes. “Because of both of us. I told them we’re a couple, unified now. Don’t make me a liar, Payne.”
“Unified,” he repeated. “Only one way to make it official.”
He dropped onto one knee, holding up the ring he’d had in his pocket for days. “Marry me, V. And I promise I’ll always protect you, love you, and honor you.”
She grinned, tears forming in her eyes. “I’d like to see you honor me, starting right now.”
He grinned in response, knowing that they’d never have a normal life, but that he’d love her forever if she’d let him. From his place on the ground, he suddenly saw a golden opportunity. He placed the ring on her finger, and slid his hands around the back of her thighs. She gasped, feeling his warm touch suddenly.
He slid his hands up, under the cotton skirt to the lace panties. Tugging them down to her ankles, he enjoyed her lack of balance that forced her to place her hands on his shoulders. “Archer…”
He ignored her pleading, needing to taste her before anything else. He reached up, putting his head under her skirt and licked her slowly. She let out a whimper, then a scream when he teased her wet, swollen clit. After inserting one long finger, he felt her start to clench around him in an orgasm that seemed to last forever. “Oh god,” he moaned as he tasted her juices which were sweet, like her.
“Archer, please,” she begged. He took one last taste then spun her around against his couch.
“Bend over,” he demanded, and she acquiesced without fighting him. He flipped over her skirt, enjoying her perfect apricot ass. “Mmm, god yes. You’re so beautiful.”
He ran his hands along her soft skin, slapping on her cheeks lightly. She turned towards him, grinning. Then he inserted two fingers into her sleek pussy and the grin dropped off her face, replied by a whimper and a moan. “Yessss…”
He dropped his athletic shorts, rubbing himself twice with a hiss. He was rock-hard, an almost permanent state lately. “Say yes,” he demanded, wanting to hear the words.
“What?” she asked, her question turning to a moan as his cock rubbed her slit, seeking entrance.
“Say yes,” he ordered again, His voice dangerously low, and his grip over his control starting to wane.
He grabbed her hands, entwining their fingers. His finger caressed the ring that was now on her left hand. “Say yes.”
“Yes,” she said, then screamed it as he pushed inside of her. He threw his head back. Her channel was so wet and tight, clenching around him like a glove. It took everything in his power not to cum inside her instantly, but he withdrew and pounding her furiously until he felt her start to orgasm again around him.
Knowing that she was his forever now, he released inside of her, coming in ropes, coating her walls. They hadn’t talked about children yet, but he had a vision of her ripe with child, his child, and suddenly wished they could start a family soon.
“I love you,” he breathed against her neck, their bodies still joined. She twisted, keeping him inside of her and wrapped her legs around him, her rear perched on the couch.
“And I love you,” she confessed, biting his shoulder after the confession.
“We’re not done yet,” he warned her, before picking her up and carrying her upstairs. “Not by a long shot. All those sets and all those shootings…we have a lot of time to make up for.”
She laughed, tugging him down to her mouth. “Where’s your toolbelt?”
His eyes gazed down at her, warm with love and desire. This woman was his kryptonite. She was what made him weak, but also strong. They completed each other. She was his, forever, just as he would always be hers.
THE END